A few days earlier, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover. Still flush with the excitement surrounding His entry into the city, Jesus’ first impulse was to go to the Temple. Furious over the exploitation He saw there, Jesus challenged the religious leaders at the very seat of their power. He threw out those who were running crooked concession stands and presumably paying kickbacks to the religious leaders for the privilege.
Today we see Jesus standing again at the main Temple gate. He is observing the "teachers of the law" strutting and swaggering around in their expensive clothes and reveling in the deference of the crowd. Both the "teachers" and the crowd seem to concur that their riches are proof of God's spiritual blessing.
Jesus is still indignant about the shameless ways these religious elites are lining their pockets on the backs of the poor and then hypocritically flaunting their riches in public as "proof" of God’s blessing. He then turns to all the people within earshot and warns them about the dangers of such injustices. He pronounces to them that these leaders are not only very mistaken, but that they will also be severely punished.
Critical to understanding the point Jesus is making is not that these spokesmen for God are parading around in expensive robes, but rather how much guilt these rich religious elite have heaped upon themselves by the methods they have used to acquire their wealth. They are posing as God’s emissaries and most blessed people, dressed in costly robes purchased with money they have, plainly spoken, stolen from widows who are helpless against them.
Then, as the scene unfolds in front of them, Jesus observes a poor widow dig deeply into her purse, slowly take her hand out, and place her last two copper coins in the collection plate. It is imaginable that the poverty of this widow is attributable to the elite and powerful "teachers of the law," Jesus has just criticized.
This possibility suggests that the most significant thing in this story is not that she gave everything, rather that Jesus is pointing to a deeper theological issue. Think of it! In spite of the great economic injury she has suffered at the hands of the people who run the Temple, she still gives everything she has in the offering. This poor powerless widow understands the principle behind giving. She is not giving to the Temple or to the "teachers of the law," she is giving to God. Refusing to be vindictive or a victim, she is determined to be faithful to God, regardless of the immense injustice she has experienced and the hypocrisy on show around her.
In these two stories Jesus offers us snapshots concerning people of faith. The first picture is full of pride, power, and presumption. The second speaks of absolute loyalty in giving to God without regard to circumstances, even when the oppressor is the Church itself. This pericope creates a tension between three parties: the giver, the receiver and God.
There are many modern illustrations of the "teachers of the law." The group that comes immediately to mind are the TV evangelists. Some of them are legitimate. However, many of them parade around in thousand dollar suits, drive expensive cars, and live in high-priced neighborhoods. The people who watch their broadcasts see them as being particularly spiritual and blessed of God. The evangelists themselves, love the renown their broadcasts accord them. However, a substantial share of their donor base is made up of widows, most of whom live on modest means. Once the "ministers" have their addresses, they cultivate these widows by letter until many of them have nothing left.
God will indeed praise and reward their faithful giving because in their minds they are giving to God’s work. It does not always mean, however, that they will have their reward here on earth. Nevertheless, Jesus warns that "such men will be punished most severely."
Before we become too self-righteous, how often do we withhold our tithe over disagreements about how the money is being spent? "They are all scoundrels," it is often said. How often do we excuse not giving God His tithe, because, "We don’t have enough money?" or "I have to help so many other people?" Jesus praised this poor woman because of her faithfulness on both counts, and He is pleased with us when we do the same.
